Headboard connector assembly for beds

ABSTRACT

A hook construction for connecting the frame of a bed to a headboard. The hook structure is detachably connected to the frame of the bed by connections which provide for adjustment of the headboard to touch the floor or adjustment to various heights which permit the bed frame to be moved on its casters without having the legs of the headboard touch the floor. The hook assembly is also adjustable to accommodate headboards of different width and/or to accommodate adjustments in the transverse width of the bed frame.

United States Patent 1 Rudin HEADBOARD CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR BEDS Louis Rudin, 1876 E. 21st St., Brooklyn, NY. 11229 Filed: Mar. 26, 1969 Appl. No.: 810,515

Inventor:

US. Cl. 5/296, 5/131 Int. Cl A47c 19/00, A47c 23/00 Field of Search 5/131, 132, 282,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/ 1972 Fredman 5/296 2/1943 Kelly 5/132 3/1957 Fredman 5/304 X [451 July 31, 1973 3,349,414 10/1967 Gutner 5/296 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Calvert Attorney-Sandoe, Hopgood & Calimafde [57] ABSTRACT A hook construction for connecting the frame of a bed to a headboard. The hook structure is detachably connected to the frame of the bed by connections which provide for adjustment of the headboard to touch the floor or adjustment to various heights which permit the bed frame to be moved on its casters without having the legs of the headboard touch the floor. The hook assembly is also adjustable to accommodate headboards of different width and/or to accommodate adjustments in the transverse width of the bed frame.

1 10 Claims, 9. Drawing Figures PATENTEU JUL 31 I975 INVENTOR d KM 1b..

ATTORNEYS.

HEADBOARD CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR BEDS BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is intended particularly for bed frames of the type which have legs with caster wheels and no headboards. The invention Provides a connector assembly which can be fastened to the bed frame and which has hooks for extending into the slots of aheadboard to connect the headboard to the spring frame.

Sometimes it is desired to have the legs of the headboard touch the floor and this invention provides adjustment so that the headboard legs can be brought into contact with the floor whenthe bed frame is at the height determined by its own legs and casters.

On other occasions, it is desired to have the headboard connected to the bed frame in such a way that the legs of the headboard never touch the floor and this leaves the bed frame free to be rolled on its caster wheels without having the legs'of the headboard drag I on the floor and interfere with free movement of the bed. This invention provides for a turning upside-down of the hooks of the connector assembly so that instead of engaging the headboard from a direction to support the bed frame, the hooks act in the opposite direction to hold the headboard in its raised position.

Headboards differ in width and many bed frames are adjustable to change their transverse width to accommodate different sizes of spring frames and, different widths of mattresses. In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the connector assemblies are adjustable within a limited transverse range toaccommodate different ratios of spring-frame-toheadboard widths; and all of the adaptability of the present invention is obtained with a construction which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which can be conveniently used with a minimum amount of mechanical change.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the descriptien proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, isometric view showing a bed frame connected with a headboard by the connector assembly of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of the connector assembly on the left-hand side of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the connector assembly turned up-side-down for useon the right-hand side of the bed frame of FIG. I when the headboard is to be supported at a level above the floor;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, isometric view,, on a reduced scale as compared with FIG. 2, showing the connector assembly of FIG. 2 in assembled relation with a leg of a headboard;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in which the connector assembly is used to accommodate different ratios of the width of the headboard to the width of the bed frame;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the connector assembly, when turned upside down as shown in 5 FIG. 3, assembled with a leg of a headboard;

FIG. 8 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on the line 8-8.of FIG. 4 but with the hook plate swung back intopositiOn for adjustment into a different slot; and

10- FIG. 9'is a sectional view taken On the line 9-9 of FIG. 8 but with the hook plate in a diagonal position-for removal from the slots at the top of the connector assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a bed frame 10 having longitudinal bed rails 12 connected together at their head end by a transverse connector 14 which is preferably made of elements that telescope with respect to one another 2.0 and which are locked in any adjusted position by a clamp 16. The transverse element 16 has legs 18 rigidly connected with it and each of these legs 18 has a caster wheel 20 for supporting the bed frame 10 from a floor.

A headboard 24 is connected with the bed frame 10 25 by connector assemblies 26 attached to the bed frame 10 at its opposite sides. The headboard 24 has a leg 28 on each side and the legs 28 contact with the floor or are supported above the floor, if desired, in accordance with the way in which the connector assembly is con- 30 nected with the bed frame, as will be explained.

7 FIG. 2 shows one of the connector assemblies 26. This assembly includes a vertically extending body portion 30 with means for connecting it to the bed frame when the body portion is oriented with one end up, as

shown in FIG. 2, and with different means-for connecting the assembly to the bed frame when the vertically extending body portion is turned upside-down, as shown in FIG. 3. These connecting means includeslots 32 for use when the body portion 30 is'oriented as shown in FIG. 2 and a plurality of spaced openings 34,

for use when the body portion 30 is oriented as shown in FIG. 3. The slots 32 can be made as one continuous slot but the use of two aligned slots, as illustrated, provides added strength. The openings'34 are shown as parallel horizontally extendingslots and'the use of such slots provides for additional adjustment of the connec tor assembly, but the openings 34 can be holes with their width equal to their height.

A bracket means 36 is connected to the body portion 30 as a rigid part thereof and the bracket means 36 extends parallel to the face of thefbody portion through which the slots 32 and openings 34 extend. This bracket means 36 extends substantially normal to the side wall of the body portion 30.

There is a substantially rectangular opening 40 in the bracket means 36 and there are projections 42 at spaced locations along the lower edge of the opening and corresponding projections 44 at spaced locations along the upper edge of the opening 40.

A hook plate 48 fits into the opening 40 and has hooks 50, best shown in FIG. 8, for engaginG cross pins 52 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which extend across a rail slit S6 in the leg 28 of the headboard.

The hook plate 48 is constructed with a notch (FIG. 8) at its upper end for receiving the upper edge of the opening 40 at selected locations either between the projections 44 or between one of the projections 44 and a side of the opening 40. When the hook plate 48 is pushed up to the full extent permitted by its notch 60, the lower end of the hook plate 48 clears the projections 42 at the lower end of the opening 40 and the hook plate 48 can be shifted into a diagonal position, as shown in FIG. 9. In this diagonal position, the hook plate 48 can be completely withdrawn from the opening 40, there being a notch 61 (FIG. 8) in the bottom of the hook plate which permits the hook plate to drop down far enough for its upper end to clear the top edge of the opening 40 when tilted into the position shown in FIG. 8.

Without withdrawing the hook plate 48 completely from the opening 40, the hook plate can be move downward, when in the position shown in FIG. 8, to remove it from projections 44 at the top of the openings 40 and to shift it into a different position with respect to the projections 44. After insertion into a selected position with respect to the projections 44, the lower end of the hook plate 48 is swung toward the left in FIG. 8 and permitted to drop into a position which brings a recess 64 of the plate into position with respect to the lower projections 42 corresponding with the position of the upper end of the late 48 with respect to projections 44.

It will be apparent that the movement of the hook plate 48 into different positions with respect to the projections 42 and 44 changes the position of the body portion 30 with respect to the rail slit 56 (FIG. 4) so that the connector assembly can accommodate itself to a head board having a different width.

The bed frame 10 has an angle section 68 connected to the rail 12 by rivets 70 or other suitable fastening means. One leg of the angle section 68 extends across the end of the rail 12 and has openings 72 for receiving bolts 74 which extend through the slots 32 of the body portion 30.

While the bolts 74 are loose, the connector assembly 26 is free to move up and down with respect to the angle section 68 which is a part of the bed frame. This angle section 68 occupies a height which depends upon the length of the legs of the bed frame and thus its position is fixed. The legs 28 of the headboard are allowed to rest on the floor and the hook plate 48, with its hooks engaging the pins in the rail slit 56, is brought down as far as the pins in the rail slit will permit. The slots 32 permit the necessary vertical adjustment of the connector assembly to bring about this condition. The bolts 74 are then tightened and the headboard is rigidly connected to the spring frame with the legs of the headboard in contact with the floor.

If it is desired to have the bed free to move on its caster wheels, without having the headboard legs touch the floor, then the connector assembly is turned upsidedown, as shown in'FlG. 3; and the bolts 74 are put through the openings 34 which are selected so as to hold the legs of the headboard at the desired height above the floor. It may be desired to have the headboard legs clcar the floor by only a slight distance so that their failure to contact with the floor is not noticable; or in cases where rugs on the floor are involved, it may be desirable to have the headboard supported at a greater height above the floor.

When the connector assembly is turned upside-down and used as in FIG. 3, it is shifted from the left to the right side of the bed frame and the hook plate 48 is inserted into the rail slit 56 in a manner to engage the hooks of the hook plate under the pins in the rail slit 56 so that the headboard is held in an elevated position by the hooks 50. This invention requires that there be right-hand and left-hand connector assemblies,and the connector assembly 26,shown in the drawing, is a righthand assembly, i.e., one for use on the right-hand side of the bed frame (when looking forward) with the hooks extending downward.

FIG. 6 shows in solid, broken and dotted lines, the difference in the position of the headboard leg 28 for the positioning of the hook plate 48 in different slots of the bracket means 36.

FIG. 7 Shows the connector assembly inserted into the rail slit 56 with the connector assembly oriented as shown in FIG. 3 for supporting the headboard out of contact with the floor.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described and the invention is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A connector assembly for connecting a bed frame to a headboard that has rail slits with cross pins therein, said assembly including a vertically extending body portion with means for connecting the assembly to the bed frame when the connector assembly is oriented with one end up,and with different means for'connecting the assembly to the bed frame when the connector assembly is upside-down, bracket means extending from said body portion, the bracket means including a hook that engages a cross pin in the rail slit of the headboard.

2. The connector assembly described in claim 1 characterized by the means for connecting the assembly to the frame including a vertically extending slot in the body position of the assembly for receiving fastenings from the frame when the assembly is in one position,

and said other means including a plurality of spaced.

fastening-receiving openings in the body portion below the slot, but adapted to be located above the slot when the connector assembly is turned upside-down.

3. The connector assembly described in claim 1 characterized by a plate to which the hook is connected, the plate extending vertically and extending through an opening in the bracket, which opening is substantially wider than the plate and shaped so that the plate can be tilted out of the vertical and into a diagonal position in the bracket opening, the plate being short enough to be withdrawn from the bracket opening when in the diagonal position, and surfaces on the plate and bracket in position to contact with one another to hold the plate in a vertical position when the plate is placed in a vertical position.

4. The connector assembly described in claim 1 characterized by the hook being adjustable horizontally with respect to the body portion of the connector assembly and transversely of the length of the bed frame to which the connector assembly is to be connected for attaching a particular headboard with bed frames of different width.

5. The connector assembly described in claim 1 in combination with a bed frame that has legs for supporting it from a floor, and a headboard that also has legs for supporting it from a floor, a different connector assembly at each side of the bed frame, fastening means connecting the bed frame with the body portion of different connector assemblies, the hooks of the connector assemblies extending downward when the connector assemblies are in one position and said hooks extending upward when the connector assemblies are upside-down.

6. The connector assembly described in claim 2 characterized by the first means for connecting the assembly to the frame including two vertically extending slots in line with one another, and said other means being spaced from one another in a vertical direction and being elongated in a horizontal direction.

7. The connector assembly described in claim 3 characterized by the bracket being rigidly connected to the body portion of the assembly, the plate being flat and of substantially uniform thickness throughout its extent including the hook, the opening in the bracket being substantially rectangular and of greater length in a vertical direction, the plate having depressions in its upper and lower ends that engage the upper and lower edges of the rectangular opening.

8. The connector assembly described in claim 7 characterized by the plate being movable horizontally in the rectangular opening to change the position of the hook transversely with respect to the body portion of the connector assembly to connect a particular headboard to bed frames of different width, and protuberances'on the front of the bracket in position to hold the plate in a vertical position at different locations across the width of the rectangular opening when the plate is pushed rearwardly to bring it against the sides of said protuberances.

9. The connector assemblies described in claim 5 characterized by the connector assemblies being of different construction in that their brackets extend from different sides thereof so that one connector assembly is for the right-hand side of the bed frame and the other connector assembly is for the left-hand side of the bed frame, the hooks of both of the connector assemblies extending in the same direction so that the hooks extend down for hanging the bed frame from the cross pins in the headboard when the connector assemblies are connected with the bed frame with one orientation, and said hooks extend upward for hanging the headboard from the bed frame when the connector assemblies are turned upside-down and each connector assembly is shifted to the other side of the bed frame. I

10. The connector assemblies described in claim 9 characterized by the bed frame having side frames and a cross frame extending between the side frames near each end thereof, and having their plates attached to the bed frame at the head end at both sides thereoflthe cross frames being adjustable to change the width of the bed frame, the legs of the bed frame being attached to the cross frames near opposite ends thereof and inward from the side frames, a caster roller at the lower end of each of the bed frame legs, legs on the headboard for rail slits therein and more widely spaced than the legs of the bed frame, the fastening means including two vertically spaced bolts extending from each of the end plates of the bed frame, means for connecting the assemblies to the end plates including vertically extending slots through which the bolts extend when the headboard is low enough for its legs to touch the floor, other means for connecting each of the connector assemblies with the end plates including a number of openings in the body portion of each assembly in excess of the number of bolts and vertically spaced in positions to selectively receive bolts to support the connector assembly and headboard with the legs of the headboard spaced above the floor so that the bed frame can roll on its rollers, the connector assemblies being upsidedown with their hooks extending upward when the bolts are through the vertically spacedopenings, each assembly having two hooks and each headboard leg having two pins for receiving the hooks, and each connector assembly being free of the front surface of its associated headboard leg. 

1. A connector assembly for connecting a bed frame to a headboard that has rail slits with cross pins therein, said assembly including a vertically extending body portion with means for connecting the assembly to the bed frame when the connector assembly is oriented with one end up,and with different means for connecting the assembly to the bed frame when the connector assembly is upside-down, bracket means extending from said body portion, the bracket means including a hook that engages a cross pin in the rail slit of the headboard.
 2. The connector assembly described in claim 1 characterized by the means for connecting the assembly to the frame including a vertically extending slot in the body position of the assembly for receiving fastenings from the frame when the assembly is in one position, and said other means including a plurality of spaced fastening-receiving openings in the body portion below the slot, but adapted to be located above the slot when the connector assembly is turned upside-down.
 3. The connector assembly described in claim 1 characterized by a plate to which the hook is connected, the plate extending vertically and extending through an opening in the bracket, which opening is substantially wider than the plate and shaped so that the plate can be tilted out of the vertical and into a diagonal position in the bracket opening, the plate being short enough to be withdrawn from the bracket opening when in the diagonal position, and surfaces on the plate and bracket in position to contact with one another to hold the plate in a vertical position when the plate is placed in a vertical position.
 4. The connector assembly described in claim 1 characterized by the hook being adjustable horizontally with respect to the body portion of the connector assembly and transversely of the length of the bed frame to which the connector assembly is to be connected for attaching a particular headboard with bed frames of different width.
 5. The connector assembly described in claim 1 in combination with a bed frame that has legs for supporting it from a floor, and a headboard that also has legs for supporting it from a floor, a different connector assembly at each side of the bed frame, fastening means connecting the bed frame with the body portion of different connector assemblies, the hooks of the connector assemblies extending downward when the connector assemblies are in one position and said hooks extending upward when the connector assemblies are upside-down.
 6. The connector assembly described in claim 2 characterized by the first means for connecting the assembly to the frame including two vertically extending slots in line with one another, and said other means being spaced from one another in a vertical direction and being elongated in a horizontal direction.
 7. The connector assembly described in claim 3 characterized by the bracket being rigidly connected to the body portion of the assembly, the plate being flat and of substantially uniform thickness throughout its extent including the hook, the opening in the bracket being substantially rectangular and of greater length in a vertical direction, the plate having depressions in its upper and lower ends that engage the upper and lower edges of the rectangular opening.
 8. The connector assembly described in claim 7 characterized by the plate being movable horizontally in the rectangular opening to change the position of the hook transversely with respect to the body portion of the connector assembly to connect a particular headboard to bed frames of different width, and protuberances on the front of the bracket in position to hold the plate in a vertical position at different locations across the width of the rectangular opening when the plate is pushed rearwardly to bring it against the sides of said protuberances.
 9. The connector assemblies described in claim 5 characterized by the connector assemblies being of different construction in that their brackets extend from different sides thereof so that one connector assembly is for the right-hand side of the bed frame and the other connector assembly is for the left-hand side of the bed frame, the hooks of both of the connector assemblies extendIng in the same direction so that the hooks extend down for hanging the bed frame from the cross pins in the headboard when the connector assemblies are connected with the bed frame with one orientation, and said hooks extend upward for hanging the headboard from the bed frame when the connector assemblies are turned upside-down and each connector assembly is shifted to the other side of the bed frame.
 10. The connector assemblies described in claim 9 characterized by the bed frame having side frames and a cross frame extending between the side frames near each end thereof, and having their plates attached to the bed frame at the head end at both sides thereof, the cross frames being adjustable to change the width of the bed frame, the legs of the bed frame being attached to the cross frames near opposite ends thereof and inward from the side frames, a caster roller at the lower end of each of the bed frame legs, legs on the headboard for rail slits therein and more widely spaced than the legs of the bed frame, the fastening means including two vertically spaced bolts extending from each of the end plates of the bed frame, means for connecting the assemblies to the end plates including vertically extending slots through which the bolts extend when the headboard is low enough for its legs to touch the floor, other means for connecting each of the connector assemblies with the end plates including a number of openings in the body portion of each assembly in excess of the number of bolts and vertically spaced in positions to selectively receive bolts to support the connector assembly and headboard with the legs of the headboard spaced above the floor so that the bed frame can roll on its rollers, the connector assemblies being upside-down with their hooks extending upward when the bolts are through the vertically spaced openings, each assembly having two hooks and each headboard leg having two pins for receiving the hooks, and each connector assembly being free of the front surface of its associated headboard leg. 